Eric Clapton: The Greatest Celebrity Watch Collector of All Time
- May 31
- 2 min read
Eric Clapton is considered to be one of, if not the, greatest celebrity watch collectors of all time.
You have probably noticed a significant uptick in media reporting in recent times about who's wearing what watch. But it's not a new trend. Eric Clapton, the British singer-songwriter began accumulating rare Rolexes and vintage Patek Philippes well before it was fashionable to do so, demonstrating both impeccable taste and impressive foresight.
He has acted as a serious connoisseur rather than just a celebrity enthusiast, often acquiring and later selling, highly coveted timepieces, including prototypes and rare custom models.
He slowly began liquidating his collection in the early 2000s, selling off timepieces privately and at auction. A Patek Philippe Ref. 2499 Platinum is widely considered to have been the holy grail of his collection. It's one of only two platinum examples of this reference ever made, with the other remaining in the Patek Philippe Museum. He sold this watch for approximately $3.5 million in 2012. Two more will go under the gavel at Phillips New York this summer.
The first is a neo-vintage Patek Philippe Ref. 5004 that the auction house says is “most probably unique.” Produced from 1994 to 2010, this reference combines a perpetual calendar complication with a split-seconds chronograph. Patek is, of course, known for such complication pairings, but the Ref. 5004 stands apart from other perpetual calendar chronographs of the era. Very few were made, due to the complexity of the split-seconds mechanism, says Robb Report. This particular watch was part of a series of special-order Pateks commissioned by Clapton himself. Given it is, quite possibly, one of a kind and tied to one of music’s greats, the piece is expected to fetch as much as $1.4 million at the upcoming auction.
The sale also includes a Patek Philippe Nautilus “Jumbo” (Ref. 5711/1A-010) that was sold to Clapton in 2018. This stainless-steel reference was launched in 2010 and discontinued in 2021, making it especially coveted among collectors. This particular example is offered complete and in outstanding condition, according to Phillips. As such, it is expected to achieve up to $140,000.
You can check out the lots here.
